Thomas Bridge 03 July 2015

Video reveals 12-month cat-and-mouse game between council and graffiti artist

A graffiti artist has filmed his year-long battle against council cleaning crews who scrubbed off his ‘experiment’ on an east London wall 11 times.

Street artist Mobstr noticed the wall in Hackney Wick where graffiti outside a red painted section was scrubbed off through a different technique to that on the un-painted brickwork.

This led Mobstr to spray the word ‘red’ on painted sections, with each phrase being replaced by another as council crews cleaned the wall.

The artist gradually inched the words towards the un-painted brickwork, before painting ‘red?’ and then ‘pressure wash?’ on sections devoid of the crimson hue.

Click here to watch the picture montage.

At one point Mobstr even highlighted a section of graffiti that hadn’t been cleaned off the wall by town hall employees, spraying ‘what about this?’ alongside a large arrow.

The council ultimately covered the entire wall with the scarlet tint, prompting a final farewell from Mobstr: ‘Well, that’s one way to end it. Thanks mate, it’s been fun.’

‘I cycled past this wall on the way to work for years, I noticed that graffiti painted within the red area was “buffed” with red paint. However, graffiti outside of the red area would be removed via pressure washing,’ Mobstr said.

‘This prompted the start of an experiment. Unlike other works, I was very uncertain as to what results it would yield.’

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: 'Graffiti clean up each year costs approximately £200,000, with this particular incident costing £600. Graffiti can reduce property value and depress economic development so removal is dealt with quickly and where possible, perpetrators are prosecuted by the police.

'The council is developing an anti-defacement policy that recognises that high quality street art can benefit our communities and enhance the general street scene.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Residential Assistant - ASC

Essex County Council
£25081.0000 - £25395.0000 per annum
Residential Assistant - ASCPermanent, Part Time£25,081 up to £25,395 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Consultant Social Worker - Frontline

Durham County Council
Grade 13 - £47,181 - £51,356
Are you an experienced children and families social worker keen to help develop the next generation of social workers in Durham?   Are you passionate Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker

Durham County Council
Grade 11 - £40,777 - £45,091
Applications are invited for a Social Worker within the Easington Locality Team. WHAT IS INVOLVED? Are you a compassionate and dedicated Social Work Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Lunchtime Supervisor

Durham County Council
£24,796 pro rata
Lunchtime Supervisor Grade 1, £24,796 pro rata Permanent, term time only, 10 hours per week 11.40 – 1.40 Monday to Friday Required from 11/05/2026   P Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Specialist Autism Pathway Lead

Durham County Council
£42,057 - £51,048 plus TLR2B £5,869 and SEN1 £2,787
Specialist Autism Pathway Lead M5- UPR3 TLR2b with 1 SEN point- £42,057 - £51,048 plus TLR2B £5,869 and SEN1 £2,787 Permanent- Monday 8.45 – 4.30pm Tu Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner